I read this ages ago. I am not sure I would want to read it now, but I do know that I really enjoyed it back then. I have added a shelf for this kindI read this ages ago. I am not sure I would want to read it now, but I do know that I really enjoyed it back then. I have added a shelf for this kind of book - "fluff"....more

ETA: I feel I need to clarify what exactly I found “too cute”. What I found too cute was the fictional story crafted by the author, of course not theETA: I feel I need to clarify what exactly I found “too cute”. What I found too cute was the fictional story crafted by the author, of course not the historical events. In no way is WW2 cute. In addition I found the historical events, although not inaccurate, without depth. So much more could have been said!

*************************************

OK, dear friends, do you want the truth? Friends recommended this book to me, and I don't want to hurt any feelings, but this book did not work for me at all. By the end I absolutely hated it. For me to give it anything other than one star is a total lie.

Why it failed me is extremely simple. It is too damn cute for me.

It is about art, the art of Chagall and Pissarro and Cezanne and about the value/meaning of art. Art is personal and I do not want to be told how to think. The whole discussion of art was, for my taste, oversimplified. There is an afterword that details how the author modified the known paintings to fit the novel.

This is primarily a book of fiction. Other than the three named artists, the characters were all fictional. The fictional story, what is that about? Romance and mystery. The time setting is WW2 and the mystery element is the disappearance of famed artwork. Were they stolen to be sold to the Germans? Who is a collaborator and who isn't? Maybe I have read too many non-fiction books on WW2 to be satisfied with this fictional presentation.

I did enjoy the author's depiction of both Roussillon, in Provence, and Paris. She captured the magnetism, the beauty and the unique atmosphere of both. I love both Roussillon and Paris; both are very special to me personally. I appreciated that the author acknowledged how one can come to love and feel at home in more than one place on this earth. Nevertheless, I cannot give an additional star because on concluding the book I felt I really disliked it.

I have zero complaints with the audiobook's narration by Kim Bubbs. Delightful French....more